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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · rule · deal · board · band · degree · pound · trunk

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a ring
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ball — a dance
  13. degree — temperature
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ball — a great time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. band — a music group
  21. board — a committee
  22. rule — a law
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com